Learn the Alphabet Learning guitar is like learning a new language; you need to know the alphabet that makes up the words for you to communicate properly.
The music alphabet is made up of 7 letters or notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
The 6 strings of the guitar are named after these letters.
The names of the strings of the guitar are, starting with 6th string or the thickest string: E, A, D, G, B, and E.
Notice that the first and last strings are both called E.
The 6th string (thickest) is referred to as low E and the 1st string (thinnest) is referred to as high E.
If you are finding it hard to remember the order of the names of the strings, try using the following phrase: Every Adult Dog Growls Barks Eats.
If you had to play each string as open (not pressing down on the strings) the notes played would be the names of the strings.
Now that we have gotten the open notes out of the way, let' s jump into whole steps or tones.
Learn the Words The notes in the music alphabet are referred to as natural notes.
Tones or whole steps are the increments by which we ascend up or descend down the music alphabet.
There is a whole step between all of the notes, except from B to C and E to F which are half steps.
A whole step on the guitar neck refers to 2 frets, except between notes B and C, and E and F, where it is 1 fret.
So if you had to play the open low E note and then move up one fret and the play low E string on the 1st fret, you would have moved up a whole step.
The note at this point, low E string 1st fret, would be the natural note F.